Google’s September 2026 Updates: Multimodal Search Data and Better Ad Data Connections

Search Console and Google Search

Search Console starts reporting multimodal search performance [Ref 1][Ref 2][Ref 3]

September 24

Search Console’s Performance report and Generative AI report now support web multimodal search data. This includes Google Lens, Circle to Search on Android, uploading an image to Google Search, and right-clicking an image in Chrome to search for it. Reports add a multimodal search-type filter and allow the data to be exported. The rollout began worldwide on September 24; data appears only when a site actually receives this traffic.

For a Shopify store, product images, the information around those images, structured data, and landing-page content should agree with each other. Filter multimodal traffic separately to see whether images are creating a new product-discovery path instead of blending it into ordinary text search.

Product structured data gets clearer sale-price guidance [Ref 4][Ref 5]

September 23

Google’s Merchant listing documentation now explains more clearly how to mark sale and original prices. Use priceType to mark the original list price that may appear struck through, with the type set to StrikethroughPrice. Keep the current sale price in price or priceSpecification. For a promotion with a start or end date, use validFrom, validThrough, or priceValidUntil as appropriate. priceType cannot be combined with validForMemberTier.

Shopify themes and custom structured data should output the original price and current price separately. Do not label the current sale price as the original price. Correct fields do not guarantee a rich result, but they reduce the chance that Google misreads the product’s pricing.

Google Ads and Demand Gen

AI Max expands AI Brief languages and prepares a new search-path report [Ref 6]

September 23

The closed test for AI Max’s AI Brief has expanded to Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish. Chinese was not included in this announcement. Google also announced a unified view for Search ads that connects the search term that triggered an ad, the creative that appeared, and the final landing page. Further details and availability are still to come.

If an account uses AI Max or is in the test, watch for the new entry in the account. Do not treat this report as a standard feature already available to every advertiser. Multilingual Shopify stores should still check that ad creative, search intent, and landing-page language match.

Google connects Data Manager, Enhanced Conversions, and diagnostics more closely [Ref 8]

September 10

Google announced a more direct connection between Data Manager, Google Analytics, and DV360, along with expanded Enhanced Conversions, a unified Data Manager API based on IAB ECAPI, built-in diagnostics, and a Data Strength Uplift metric. The focus is not a new ad placement; it is a more consistent connection between first-party data, conversion signals, and advertising systems.

Shopify merchants should check whether consent management, Google tag or GTM, GA4, and Google Ads conversions are double-counting events or losing important signals. Larger teams can also review Data Manager diagnostics. Some parts of this update are more relevant to accounts with data engineering or DV360 needs.

Demand Gen adds YouTube Ads Business Agent and a one-tap landing experience [Ref 7]

September 24

YouTube Ads Business Agent lets viewers interact with conversational AI beside a video ad. It can answer product or brand questions using a product feed. Access is still limited and requires an application. Demand Gen also announced a one-tap landing experience for image ads: image ads in YouTube Shorts and Gmail can take viewers more directly to a landing page. Shorts placements require a full-screen 9

image.

For a Shopify store, if the account becomes eligible, prepare a clean product feed, clear product pages, and vertical creative suited to Shorts. Business Agent is not automatically available to every ad account; an announcement is not the same as general availability.

Google tag gradually replaces the GA4 Configuration tag in GTM [Ref 9][Ref 10]

Early September

Google tag is beginning to replace the GA4 Configuration tag in Tag Manager. One Google tag can send data to multiple product destinations, and Google Ads conversions can also be configured in GTM. Event settings and configuration settings variables can share parameters such as language and discount. Existing GA4 Configuration tags are upgraded automatically, and their measurement should continue to work; rebuilding them manually is usually unnecessary.

GTM container optimization remains optional, and the visual indicator for Google Ads Purchase conversions is still rolling out as a test. Shopify stores should check whether GA4, Ads conversions, and event tags have duplicate destinations. Do not install another tracking setup just because the tag name changed.

Merchant Center and Google Shopping

Shopping ads and free-listing policies are reorganized in September [Ref 11]

September

Google reorganized the documentation for Shopping ads and free product listings. Some policies still apply only to Shopping ads and are labeled accordingly. Google also says the change does not add material restrictions or represent stricter enforcement.

This is mainly a change to policy navigation and document structure. Merchants can update old bookmarks and confirm the rules for their country, product category, and ad type. There is no need to rebuild a product feed just because the documents were reorganized.

Developers and APIs

Content API enters a gradual shutdown phase [Ref 13]

September 1

Content API for Shopping stopped service on August 18. Starting September 1, requests without a valid extension enter a gradual failure phase and may intermittently return HTTP 410. Google’s end goal is migration to Merchant API. Systems with genuine migration difficulties can request an extension under the official rules, but an extension is not a long-term plan.

If a Shopify app, feed sync tool, or internal script still calls Content API, inventory the account, product, inventory, and sale-price endpoints now and plan the move to Merchant API. An old connector that still works sometimes is not evidence that it remains reliable.

Google Ads API v25.2 adds Asset Group tracking fields and PMax video discovery controls [Ref 12]

September 23

Google Ads API v25.2 adds tracking URL template, custom parameters, and final URL suffix fields to Performance Max AssetGroup. It also adds automatic video-discovery settings that control finding video assets from landing pages, social platforms, YouTube, and other sources. This is a minor release with no announced breaking changes.

Teams building ad automation or report sync can add these fields to their AssetGroup read/write models and validation allowlists. Check that attribution parameters stay consistent across product, collection, and ad landing pages. Video discovery affects asset automation, so confirm that the account is comfortable with automatically generated or discovered assets before enabling it.

Ads API developer tokens and Search language targeting rules change [Ref 14][Ref 15]

September 9–30

Starting September 9, Google Ads API developer tokens leave the old management model; API access levels are now managed through the associated Google Cloud project. Clients should follow the new documentation instead of relying on the old token workflow. From September 30, Search, AI Max for Search, and Performance Max campaigns serving Search traffic no longer support manually written language targeting criteria. Creating or updating CampaignCriterion.language may return ContextError.OPERATION_NOT_PERMITTED_FOR_CONTEXT.

Multilingual Shopify ad automation needs to remove the logic that forces a language criterion into every campaign. Let Google match language using the creative and landing page instead. Before upgrading, validate the OAuth project, API version, and write-error handling in a test account so a bulk sync does not break under the new rules.

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• [1] Announcing web multimodal Search performance reporting in Search Console
• [2] Search Console Performance report
• [3] Search Console Insights and Generative AI report
• [4] Google Search documentation updates
• [5] Merchant listing structured data
• [6] AI Max expands language support and introduces new reporting
• [7] Demand Gen September Drop
• [8] Data Strength updates
• [9] Set up Google tag in Google Tag Manager
• [10] Google tag and Tag Manager unification
• [11] Google Shopping ads and free listings policies
• [12] Google Ads API release notes
• [13] Content API for Shopping deprecation and sunset
• [14] Google Ads API deprecations
• [15] Google Ads API developer token policy